


Tinsel Wars

by CynicalMistrust



Category: Supernatural
Genre: "Post series", Fluff, Humor, M/M, Sassy Castiel, brotherly antics, dcminibang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5348288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalMistrust/pseuds/CynicalMistrust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Free Will celebrates their first Christmas together. Snarky chaos ensues. "Post season / series"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tinsel Wars

Dean stepped back to admire his handiwork, breathing in the rich scent of the tree. Pine needles scattered across the floor, but they'd sweep up easily enough off the hardwood. This was the first Christmas they'd have a tree up since... at least ten years. And this time there would be proper presents, not cheap items they'd picked up from a gas station, shared between them in a crappy motel. No, this year they had a proper tree, with real decorations they could keep and store to be used again next year.

The thought that they all might actually have a next year, away from hunting, and could celebrate Christmas together again filled him with equal parts excitement, longing, and unease. He still wasn't used to the idea of having a future, of growing old. It still felt strange to call someplace home that wasn't on four wheels. The idea of anything having permanence was still new and fascinating. Even now, three years after fixing the world for the last time, it seemed unreal, like he was trapped in a Djinn's dream, only this time it would be so much harder to let go and return to the real world.

He turned as the door opened. "You're late! What'd you do, stop for Starbucks?"

"Yes." Cas poked his head around the corner, holding out two drinks with an expectant look. "And I found someone downstairs."

Dean raised an eyebrow, moving to take the drinks so Cas could shrug off his coat. He glanced past him as the door opened again, admitting his brother into the apartment. "And you're early," he said with a grin, passing the drinks back to Cas so he could pull Sam into a hug, slapping his back a few times. "You can help decorate the tree."

"Awesome." Sam laughed and pulled off his own coat, stomping snow off his boots.

"Leave your shoes at the door." Dean took the cup Cas held out to him, doing a sniff-test to make sure it wasn't Cas' flavor of the week. Which seemed to be Gingerbread lattes considering the season.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Sam. I just cleaned. I am not mopping up after you." He ignored the shared look between the two of them as he headed back to the living room, wiggling his toes in the thick, soft socks Cas had picked up. Cas may have atrocious sense in fashion, but his choice in socks didn't need help in the least. 

He picked up one of the containers of ornaments they'd bought last week, trying to decide on where to start.

Sam dropped a few sacks on the table. "Where's the garland?"

"Shit."

"You forgot the garland?"

Dean glared and took a drink of his lightly creamed and sugared coffee. "Maybe."

Sam rolled his eyes, reaching into a sack and pulling out an assorted mix of garland. "Good thing I got here early."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

Cas snorted into his latte and picked up the container with various-sized red bulbs. "Whores," he said under his breath.

"Hey!"

"Whoa!" Dean tried hard to give Cas a disapproving look, but it took too much concentration just to keep from laughing. It was still odd sometimes hearing Cas speak like a normal _human_. He'd picked up a lot over the years, but for the most part he remained the same.

Sam unwound the garland and tossed one end to Dean. Between the two of them, they got it in place and made grabs for the ornaments.

It wasn't until half his box was emptied onto the branches that Dean noticed Cas wasn't joining in. When he looked back, Cas was still holding the box of red ornaments in one hand, sipping his coffee with the other as he stared at the tree with his head tilted. "Cas?"

"Hm?"

Dean shared a look with his brother. "...What are you doing?"

"Looking for the best way to hang these." Cas set his coffee down and pulled one of the ornaments from the container.

"They don't have to be symmetrical, you know."

Sam grinned. "Just put them up wherever."

"They would look better if spaced evenly." Cas reached out to place the first bulb, placing the second a minute later.

Dean reached for one of Cas' bulbs when the rest of the ornaments were placed haphazardly on the tree, glaring when his hand was slapped away. "What the hell, Cas?"

Cas stepped away and continued placing bulbs, each moved to be equal distance from the others, even if they were hung on top of another ornament. "You already placed your decorations."

"All that's left is the tinsel then." Sam picked up one of the packages and ripped it open.

"Shouldn't that have gone on before?"

"Who cares?" Sam pulled out some of the silvery strings, tossing them towards the tree. Several of them stuck to his fingers and he shook his hand, the strings floating through the air, landing on the floor.

Dean smirked and grabbed another package, getting half of the tinsel on the tree before they somehow devolved into chucking it each other, Cas caught between them as he continued to painstakingly hang his red bulbs.

"Must you two act like children?"

Sam and Dean shared a look before they took their last handful of tinsel and covered Cas' hair.

Cas went still, narrowing his eyes at the tree as he hung the last red ornament. Then he turned, scooping up a clump of tinsel from the hardwood and straightening to smash it into a retreating Dean's face.

"Oh now you're dead."

War broke out between the three of them and it was a miracle the tree survived, much less all the decorations. By the time they were all breathless, Sam was the only one without tinsel above his shoulders, too tall for Dean or Cas to get to properly.

"Now I need a drink." Sam brushed tinsel off his shirt as he headed to the kitchen, Cas following behind.

Dean stepped back when they were gone and cleaned himself off, a faint grin settling on his lips as he looked over the tree. Tinsel was everywhere, more on the floor than on the tree. The red globes Cas had claimed were all symmetrically placed among the snowflakes, Millennium Falcon, moose, reindeer, and the one he was certain was a squirrel. A large Batman symbol topped the tree, courtesy of Sam.

"Awesome." Dean let out a sigh of content, glancing at Cas when he returned with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. He smirked as he caught sight of silvery threads clinging to Cas' hair and shirt. "You're still covered in tinsel."

Cas sighed, setting the mugs on the table and picking at a stray piece on his arm. "It's difficult to remove."

Dean snorted and reached for Cas' arm, tugging him closer and reaching up to pick the threads out of his hair. They clung to his fingers instead with the static and he grumbled as he tried to shake them off, to no avail. "Next year, no tinsel."

"You can't have a Christmas tree without tinsel, Dean!" Sam called from the kitchen.

"Keep your bat ears to yourself!"

"Jerk."

"Bitch." Dean couldn't stop grinning, turning his attention back to Cas and raising an eyebrow at the weird half-smile on his face. "What?"

Cas shook his head. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Dean rolled his eyes, reaching for the last few pieces clinging to Cas. "Since when?" He smirked as Cas squinted at him, smoothing out the unruly locks of hair as an excuse to let his fingers linger. "Seriously, what?"

"I'm thankful I got to see you like this."

Dean leaned back enough to meet Cas' eyes, his hand sliding down enough he could absently rub at Cas' ear. "Like what?"

"Happy." Cas stepped closer, resting his hands on Dean's hips.

Dean was about to protest that he'd been happy before, but while that wasn't a complete lie, it wasn't total truth either. This wasn't just happiness, it was something more, went deeper, because he knew for once it could actually last. "Yeah," he murmured, leaning forward until his forehead rested against Cas', thumb still rubbing against his ear. "Me too."

**Author's Note:**

> Accompanied artwork by the lovely [alloutofgoodnames](http://alloutofgoodnames.tumblr.com/)


End file.
